Berlin, March 28th 2017 - Millions of drivers want to stay connected to their digital life on the road, but using smartphones and handheld devices has made this largely unsafe and has increased distracted driving-related accidents* – until now. German Autolabs, a technology startup developing IoT (internet-of-things) solutions to make driving more pleasant, convenient and human, announced Chris - the world’s first digital co-driver with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
As the “Alexa for Automotive”, Chris is an elegantly designed device that will integrate with any car on the road - no matter the age and model. Chris offers entertainment, connectivity, and navigation capabilities for drivers that is more convenient and proactive than other market offerings. Starting today, audiences globally can pre-order Chris at the early bird rate of $170 USD on Kickstarter until May 2. Shipment and retail availability are planned for December 2017.
“While automotive manufacturers like Tesla, Lexus, Audi and BMW pursue building connected vehicles over the next several years, consumer demand for AI-enabled technology is rapidly on the rise today. Drivers and passengers can have this AI-powered technology at their disposal now, and with a low barrier to entry both in installation and cost. Chris works in every car, regardless of the age or model.”
Holger Weiss, CEO of German Autolabs
For the initial market offering later this year, drivers can simply attach Chris to their windshield or dashboard and connect it with their smartphone via Bluetooth, both iOS and Android available. The AI-powered device will enable drivers to send and reply messages or emails, listen to streamed music (through apps like Spotify, Apple Music and Google Play), get the latest traffic updates and navigation instructions, and make and receive phone calls using highly intelligent speech and gesture recognition technology on a glanceable full-color screen display.
Additionally, unlike other emerging voice assistants such as Siri, Cortana, Google Assistant or Alexa, Chris is specifically designed for drivers. It will offer a more human-centric user experience that proactively communicates with the driver. Chris is powered by advanced AI and NLP (Natural Language Processing) technologies that make you feel like you’re driving with a human navigator, delivering information to you when you need it most.
"Chris is an intelligent hands free device designed from the ground up to be operated safely in the car. Through the combination of voice, hand gestures and the display, it is easy to use and reliably does what you want it to do. Chris makes your drive smarter and safer by keeping your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road.”
Patrick Weissert, Chief Product Officer & Co-Founder German Autolabs
For more information, visit the Chris profile on Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/germanautolabs/chris-your-digital-co-driver-with-artificial-intel
Watch the Kickstarter launch trailer: https://youtu.be/xKNF5aET9z0
Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisonadrive
Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrisonadrive
Visit the Chris website: https://www.hellochris.ai
*Dscout study: 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted driving in 2014.
